"The future of education resides in a seamless blend of online and traditional learning, empowering continuous growth and flexibility. With the advent of artificial intelligence and data analytics, personalized learning experiences are becoming the cornerstone of academic progress.”
In today’s episode of The Shape of Work, prepare to be enlightened by our guest, Dr. Kajal Chheda, an esteemed Assistant Professor at Atlas SkillTech University in Mumbai. Dr. Chheda unravels her intriguing career journey, sharing how she entwines her law degree pursuit with her teaching responsibilities, and illuminating how the power of example can make an unforgettable impact on students. With over fifteen years of extensive professional experience, she has held pivotal roles across esteemed institutions like Gurukul College of Commerce, the National Institute of Industrial Engineering, and the ITM Group of Institutions. Her academic achievements include an MBA from Sikkim Manipal University and a PhD from Savitribai Phule Pune University.
In this episode, she introduces us to the burgeoning world of technological advancements redefining the education landscape, emphasizing the criticality of practical learning and consistent skill enhancement in the face of a rapidly evolving market.
Episode Highlights
Follow Kajal on Linkedin
Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast Host: Archit Sethi
About Springworks:
Springworks is a fully-distributed HR technology organisation building tools and products to simplify recruitment, onboarding, employee engagement, and retention. The product stack from Springworks includes:
SpringVerify— B2B verification platform
EngageWith— employee recognition and rewards platform that enriches company culture
Trivia — a suite of real-time, fun, and interactive games platforms for remote/hybrid team-building
SpringRole — verified professional-profile platform backed by blockchain, and
SpringRecruit — a forever-free applicant tracking system.
Springworks prides itself on being an organisation focused on employee well-being and workplace culture, leading to a 4.8 rating on Glassdoor for the 200+ employee strength company.
"The future of education resides in a seamless blend of online and traditional learning, empowering continuous growth and flexibility. With the advent of artificial intelligence and data analytics, personalized learning experiences are becoming the cornerstone of academic progress.”
In today’s episode of The Shape of Work, prepare to be enlightened by our guest, Dr. Kajal Chheda, an esteemed Assistant Professor at Atlas SkillTech University in Mumbai. Dr. Chheda unravels her intriguing career journey, sharing how she entwines her law degree pursuit with her teaching responsibilities, and illuminating how the power of example can make an unforgettable impact on students. With over fifteen years of extensive professional experience, she has held pivotal roles across esteemed institutions like Gurukul College of Commerce, the National Institute of Industrial Engineering, and the ITM Group of Institutions. Her academic achievements include an MBA from Sikkim Manipal University and a PhD from Savitribai Phule Pune University.
In this episode, she introduces us to the burgeoning world of technological advancements redefining the education landscape, emphasizing the criticality of practical learning and consistent skill enhancement in the face of a rapidly evolving market.
Episode Highlights
Follow Kajal on Linkedin
Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast Host: Archit Sethi
About Springworks:
Springworks is a fully-distributed HR technology organisation building tools and products to simplify recruitment, onboarding, employee engagement, and retention. The product stack from Springworks includes:
SpringVerify— B2B verification platform
EngageWith— employee recognition and rewards platform that enriches company culture
Trivia — a suite of real-time, fun, and interactive games platforms for remote/hybrid team-building
SpringRole — verified professional-profile platform backed by blockchain, and
SpringRecruit — a forever-free applicant tracking system.
Springworks prides itself on being an organisation focused on employee well-being and workplace culture, leading to a 4.8 rating on Glassdoor for the 200+ employee strength company.
Hello and welcome to the Shape of Work, a podcast series by Springworks. My name is Anoop and I am your host. Each week, we'll be talking to top people managers across the world on the future of work and how it's shaping our workplace. So sit back and get ready to find out more from these movers and shakers, as we have a no-holes bar. Anything goes. Conversation with them about their journey, their insights, their thoughts, most importantly, their ideas and vision for the workplace of the future. Join in on the conversation, leave a comment and don't forget to hit that subscribe button.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome to another episode of the Shape of Work podcast, and today we have with us Dr Kajal Cheda, who is a research guide and assistant professor at Atlas Kiltac University in Mumbai. Hello, dr Kajal, thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 3:Hello Arshad. Thank you so much for having me over here.
Speaker 2:It's a pleasure. So, to begin with, could you please take us through your career journey so far as an educator, and also you would love to know that. What inspired you to pursue a career in education?
Speaker 3:Thank you, arshad. So the thing is like I, from a very early age I had a deep rooted curiosity and a passion for learning, and it wasn't just getting good grades, but it was more of joy, of discovery, the thrill of understanding something new. But my thing was, why don't we see the magic of happening things through different lenses? And this desire of mine helped me to share this love for learning with others, and then it became a burning ambition. So I've envisioned somewhere, a classroom, you know, where the questions were actually encouraged. From the era that I come, we had very punitive type of teaching and learning, and what I'm seeing here now, as in this entire process and the journey that I have made, the things are changing and it is finally the way the things are happening where the students should feel empowered and they should be explored enough that they grow enough as an educator.
Speaker 3:One more thing, arshad.
Speaker 3:I want to say that I had the privilege of guiding students. You know, sometimes when I used to see any movie where there was so much of border things and where they used to really do something for the country the soldiers I used to ask myself question what can I do for my country? There's very little, you know, which I have in me, being coming from this traditional contemporary background and upbringing, I was never supposed and I was never raised to go and work outside Like my mother and my father empowered me to study, to learn, but to come, so that somewhere, you know, I felt that I could guide my children children as in, I call my students as my children so I could guide them, I could watch them evolve, I could see that light on their face, you know, when they could understand the really challenging concept. And what I saw was the impact went beyond the academics. They started throwing light on values, the critical thinking, the empathy, and that's what I feel. You know, it's a very essential thing to have a very great society within us.
Speaker 2:I mean definitely nobody can, you know, have two thoughts about the fact that, why teachers are considered, you know, almost as equivalent to, as you know, your gurus, or you know, as we say, that you know your teachers are second to God, second to none but God and parents. So obviously I mean to have that sort of vision for your students and, you know, considering them, they're your children. I think it's a great thinking and I'm sure we have more teachers like you who carry the same vision. So I was going through your profile, I also got to know that you're not just a teacher, but you're also a student. You're currently pursuing a law degree as well, yes, so what motivated you to continue your education? You know your studies at this point, and also I would love to know how do you balance both of these?
Speaker 3:Thank you. Thank you, arshad. You know what it is. I generally believe it's like lead by example, correct. So when I go to my classroom I'm so empowered I feel this is my Akhada I hope that I can use this words, right, yeah, and I feel very empowered. So I always keep on telling my children who are at the last bench, you know, came Monday to Friday, I'm Tableka Yeh Sai. Saturday, I'm Tableka Wo Sai. So I know what the student think, I know what the student will talk about the teacher.
Speaker 3:And while studying all through my life I've studied. You know, I got married at the age of 22. I mean just I'm not giving you a flex, but just I'm telling you, after I got married, I did my MCom, I did my MBA, I pursued my M field degree from Chennai University. Then I did this one mandatory thing to become a professor. That is net. So I cleared that and I did my PhD. So I thought that you know what something new apart from that, having that Dr Kajal Cheda, what is something which I can really put more light on on my name? So it was like advocate Dr Kajal Cheda would look more better, because my guide when I was doing my PhD was a very, very strict human being but a very gold hearted person and his name goes like major Dr Ashok Giri, and I was so inspired by that.
Speaker 3:Now I can't join LCC, but this law degree, it helps me to create a positive difference and I feel that this particular student, at one given point of time, should have this growth within them where they can see that when they talk about me at their homes also, they say we have a teacher who is a student. So I lead by example. I know what they are going through. I know what this assignments are, because when it's my time of submission it really takes a toll on my head and that's just mind. It's not easy to balance the thing. I may be very humble, you know, to say that, oh, I can balance it very nicely, but it is not the case.
Speaker 3:There are days, archit, when I ask myself why am I doing this? I mean, it is not required. This degree is not going to give me any financial great thing, neither it is going to do any difference in my life financially. But, yes, personally, it's going to give me a commitment level that I challenge myself every single day. Can I complete this research paper on time? How do I manage the time? How do I get a strong support from my network around?
Speaker 3:I always keep on telling my children in my classroom you know, it is not just having great parents that you make a difference, it is the self motivation and very self driven. And apart from that so that was the man once said you know, behind every successful woman there is a very strong family who supports them. So I can give this credit to one of my very good friend, to my family, my in-laws, my husband and, more importantly, my daughter. You know we have a race during the exam time. It's her exam, she studies, my exam, I study and then when I on my mobile phone, she tells me keep your cell phone inside, okay, having an exam. So this is something that's very motivating, archit.
Speaker 2:And I think it takes a lot of resilience and patience and passion towards studying. I mean it's not easy, as you mentioned, and it's definitely not easy to do something and to balance both the boards together, but I guess you've been doing it greatly. That's why I mean you're seeing the bigger picture of learning, that you get the kind of growth that you would get financially, personally or in any way. So I think it's all about seeing the bigger picture and making the most out of your time. Making the most for yourself is, I think, the bottom line of this. So I also read a very interesting thing in your profile. It mentioned that you conducted some leadership lessons and related to mythology. So could you tell us more about it? How did you relate? And these two topics? Because it's quite unusual.
Speaker 3:Yes, I'll just go through one small story. When I was a student, I used to feel that why are we learning the same things? Why is it that we don't as a student, why will not? As a student, the student has a different perspective of that same thing. So what happened? I, whenever seeing this Ramayana and Mahabharata and whatever has been taught to me, people were always thinking from this point of view of what Ram has to say. So, ram, of course, lord Krishna, but there is always a second view of the person who is from the other side. Even they have their views.
Speaker 3:And then we, as a teacher, we have the privilege of meeting great personalities in our life In this country. It is very bad that we are very humbly paid. We are paid very modestly, and let me not talk about the colleges or the universities, who don't get grant In this profession. What we get the most is the respect, and the respect is earned by not being the sage on the stage. You need to be the coach by their side. And at that time I used to always feel what do I do to keep myself updated? And there came person in my life. His name is Uthkar Shpatel.
Speaker 3:Sir, I had this refresher course, going in NM College in Mumbai and he was delivering a lecture where there was a connection of management with mythology. And of course, I used to follow a lot to David Patnaik the YouTube videos, the readings, the books. I'm a very avid reader so when I used to read this I used to get, I used to transform myself into a whole new world of mythology, where they used to make the complex things you know possible in a very nice manner. So what I used to do is like I used to read giant mythology, I used to read drama and and then I used to integrate these lessons through the storytelling. Because at what age don't we love to your stories? Everybody, in any era, in any age, love to your stories.
Speaker 3:Then I started integrating the small ethical lessons, the small crucial crisis situation of what Ramayana has, what Mahabharata has, in the form of case studies, in the form of interactive sessions, and then I used to apply it and where my children used to understand and apply these particular principles in their modern leadership challenges. So the emphasis was more on values, more on ethics, more on adaptability, more of resilience and have a strategic thinking which makes my child, my student, grow holistically, you know, and that development is very important, which resonates the ethics of the child, as what he has learned is upbringing, and what challenges he is going to face and how he's going to overcome that. So that was the entire story behind this.
Speaker 2:Awesome. I think the times have also changed, where you know, in a way, the way the teaching has also been adopted in various colleges and universities. I think it's a great thing and I am really looking forward, and, because I myself am a student, so I would love to, you know, have those lessons in my colleges well, where you know teachers focus on different aspects and they make you learn through different things, like my theology, as you mentioned. So how do you now, coming to another part of this conversation, which is like, since you have been into this profession for a while, so how do you see the future of education changing? I mean, how do you see it growing and how do you think what sort of innovations could be brought in when it?
Speaker 3:comes in. Right, arjit, you said that we are growing very fast and, thanks to the honorable Prime Minister of our country, that is implementing NEP policies, which is going to really bring a very great difference. Of course, it has its own disruptions. We cannot avoid that. But the future of education, including my management studies, is likely to be increased by digitalization and the accessibility which the children have. I keep on telling my children that this generation is born in the information revolution generation. I speak something, my child Googles it. Any challenge is me, madam. There is something else also written over here, and this is discussion. I don't believe in just teaching the child, I believe in discussing it. So it's very important that I really want to tell to every educator or the student or anybody who's listening this podcast please discuss things, because only after discussion we broaden our views. And now, with this online and blended learning, it allows our child to grow continuously. It offers a flexibility and with the advent of artificial intelligence and data analytics, they can really have this personalized learning experiences.
Speaker 3:Traditional degrees really help to one extent. They'll never go away. They'll never fade away, but they'll evolve into smaller modules. What is more important is skill-based learning, the skill-based credentials. I make my MBA and my BBA.
Speaker 3:Children go out in the market and they get this experiential learning by talking to the consumers, by talking to the entrepreneurs. Unless and until they don't go into the market, they'll never experience the challenges. So I make them go, I make them write the reports. That report writing is all very great. What I want them to learn is go in the market, see how the consumer behaves, See the sustainability of any entrepreneur. How is he going to survive? You be at that strategic decision maker, help him, guide him. And what I feel is the future of our higher education in management is very dynamic. It is going to be tech-driven. It is going to be focused on preparing the students to evolve into the global landscape. Gone are the days where I'm competing myself only with the other state students in India. Now our competition is bigger. It's like just chug day, go outside, explore yourself and show to the whole world that India has the power to change and have that never to die attitude within them. That's what I feel Our future of education is amazing.
Speaker 2:Definitely. You mentioned some of the very accurate and very important points. The main beat tech-driven, data-driven, and then also I think it's all about now practical knowledge and applying your knowledge into practicality. That's what the essence of education is today, one of the days when we just used to stick to textbooks or just reading big research papers of various people carry a lot of experience with themselves. I mean, it's all about because the market is so dynamic you just can't study it in a book.
Speaker 3:True, arjit, and when I aim it if I can speak this I keep on telling my children who are doing MBA and BBA what I'm teaching now is it will become outdated after two to three years. But what is more important is you learn that resilience to learn, and this is something which I really want to say. When my mom was alive, she used to always tell me Kajal will be robbed one day. Saraswati hamsha tere sath rahe, laxmi chali jahi, but Saraswati hamsha tere sath rahe. To learn, keep on learning and updating yourself. Even a mobile phone of ours requires an update, so we have to be updated to face challenges. That's what is my entire takeaway from this podcast and give away from this podcast.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, beautiful thoughts. Thank you, Dr Kajal, for taking time out of your busy schedule and coming and sharing your beautiful thoughts with us. I hope we have more teachers like you who just carry this lineage of sharing your knowledge, your everything, your vision. So thank you so much.
Speaker 3:Thank you, arjit, thank you so much. Thank you, team Springworks, it really matters a lot and thank you for the efforts taken by you all. I hope that we could really, together, bring the change in our country which our country actually deserves.
Speaker 2:Definitely, and thanks to our listeners for tuning in to this episode.